Must Haves for the New Woodturner

After much research and actual purchases, I have come up with a must have list for the starting woodturner. This is for the woodturner who is interested in pen and bowl turning as their first sojourn into woodturning.

Equipment:

1. Mini or Midi Lathe - Jet Mini Lathe is an excellent starting lathe. It is very common at the major woodworking stores like Woodcraft and Rockler. I also recommend that you invest in the legs for the Jet Mini and purchase lockable casters for mobility. I got my lockable casters at Woodcraft.
   
2. 12" Band Saw - Jet, Powermatic and Ricoh make excellent 12" band saws. I bought a Sears 10" bandsaw that is modeled after the Ricoh. The bandsaw is to cut your wood blanks whether they be dry or green.
3. Drill Press - Delta and Powermatic make an excellent drill press. I have a Delta benchtop drill press. I recommend that you buy a table with fence for your drill press. I got mine from Woodpeckers. The drill press is to drill holes in your pen and bowl blanks.
4. Low Speed Grinder - You will need a grinder to keep your lathe tools sharp. A dull lathe tool makes for a frustrated turner. Surprisingly, you will sharpen your tool edge repeatedly during a project. I got mine at Woodcraft plus a metal stand. It is also worthwhile to invest in a Wolverine jig that helps you accurately put the correct edge on the tool. Being new at it, this jig is worth it!
   

Lathe Tools - I recommend that you buy a good quality HSS lathe tool like Sorby. Sorby can be bought at Rockler or Woodcraft. The edge sharpness will last longer and it can take many grindings. Do not make the mistake I first made by buying a kit of midi tools - they have small handles (not helpful when turning bowls) and you will only use several to start pen and bowl turning. Instead, invest in the specific tools you will use to start. Thus, the basis for my list below.

1. Gouges - I recommend purchasing a 3/8" spindle, fingernail and bowl gouge. These will be used for all spindle and bowl turning on a Jet mini lathe.
2. Roughing Gouge - This tool is key to roughing the initial shape of your pen or bowl. The midi tool I have works fine. It is a 1/2" gouge. You could go as big as 5/8".
3. Spindlemaster - This is a an excellent tool to smooth out your turnings. The classical smoothing tool is a skew. However, a skew is very hard for beginners resulting in tearouts and gouges where you don't want them. As my skill and experience grows, I will begin to use the classic skew. I recommend a 1/2" spindlemaster to start with.
   
4. Parting Tool - An 1/8" or 3/16" tool is best. This will help part items on the lathe. I have not used my parting tool yet, but I am planning some future projects where it is necessary.
   

Lathe Acessories

1. Woodturning Chuck - This is worth investing in. I did not scrimp here. I bought a Nova G3 chuck. It uses a gear action to move and lock the jaws on your piece. Plus you can buy a variety of jaws for different applications. This is essential for bowl turning.
2. Pen Turning Mandrel - This is essential for turning pens. Make sure you get the right taper for your lathe. Both Rockler and Woodcraft carry pen mandrels and the bushings are interchangeable.

Jigs - I will provide directions in a later posting for making your own jigs.

1. Pen Blank Holder for Drilling - I made mine.
   
2. A Pen Press - I made mine and use my drill press as the pressing mechanism.
3. A Pen Blank Cutting Jig for the Band Saw - I made mine.

This list is a work in progress. By no means is it complete yet. I expect it to grow as my experience in woodturning grows. My next expansion of this list will deal with the materials and supplies needed to complete a woodturning project.

Until later....

Resources detailed in this post:

Woodcraft (www.woodcraft.com)
Rockler (www.rockler.com)
Woodpeckers (www.woodpeck.com)
Wolverine jig (www.oneway.on.ca)
Sorby (www.robert-sorby.co.uk)
Nova Chucks (www.teknatool.com)